On a spectrum of absolute independence, or self-sufficiency, the individual needs nothing from society and is, therefore, not responsible for society in anyway. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the individual is completely dependent on society and is, likewise, not responsible.

Responsibility is dialectical, meaning it is the product of free agency not sufficient in and of itself. It is need that instills in us a sense of responsibility, our coming to the place in which we realize our dependence on each other. If a person has a need for society, he, or she, in an attempt at preserving oneself must in turn preserve the society in which he, or she, lives; and, by preserving it take responsibility for it. The individual who sees oneself as being completely free has no need for the society in which he, or she, lives; and, having no need, neither does he, or she, find membership beneficial even though the individual may only have a delusion of self-sufficiency.